Automatically detecting and locating equipment within an equipment rack

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for automatically detecting and locating equipment within an intelligent equipment rack. The intelligent equipment rack comprises a rack controller that determines whether a signal has been received indicating that a rack space in a plurality of rack spaces in the intelligent equipment rack has been occupied by a piece of electronic equipment. Responsive to receiving the signal indicating that the rack space has been occupied by the piece of electronic equipment, the rack controller updates a rack information table in the memory with occupation information related to the rack space occupied by the piece of electronic equipment.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An intelligent equipment rack, comprising:
 a rack controller; and 
 a memory coupled to a processor in the rack controller, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: 
 determine whether a signal has been received indicating that a rack space in a plurality of rack spaces in the intelligent equipment rack has been occupied by a piece of electronic equipment; 
 responsive to receiving the signal indicating that the rack space has been occupied by the piece of electronic equipment, update a rack information table in the memory with occupation information related to the rack space occupied by the piece of electronic equipment; 
 receive first equipment information specific to the piece of electronic equipment from the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the first equipment information comprises a number of rack spaces occupied by the electronic equipment, a connection point of the electronic equipment, and directions of other spaces occupied by the electronic equipment; and update the rack information table in the memory with the first equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       2. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 write rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, or a row identifier. 
 
     
     
       3. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 receive a second equipment information specific to the piece of electronic equipment from the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the second equipment information comprises at least one of a unique network address, a network address of a system management interface, a media access control (MAC) address, a model number, a unique serial number, product release level, maintenance level, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or device type; and 
 update the rack information table in the memory with the second-equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       4. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the signal identifies a specific rack space in the plurality of rack spaces, wherein the identification of the specific rack space is provided by a persistent storage associated with the specific rack space, wherein the signal is initiated by the piece of electronic equipment being installed in the intelligent equipment rack and a connection being made, and wherein the connection is at least one of a contact on the piece of electronic equipment closing the connection if the connection is a normally open connection or a protrusion on the piece of electronic equipment opening the connection if the connection is a normally closed connection. 
     
     
       5. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 display rack information on a display associated with the intelligent equipment rack, wherein the rack information is at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, a row identifier, a room identifier, a building identifier, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link to a rack in an enterprise system management software. 
 
     
     
       6. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 relay at least one of rack information or electronic equipment information from the rack information table to a central management system so that a detailed, dynamic, 
 up-to-date, and accurate inventory of the electronic equipment is available for the intelligent equipment rack. 
 
     
     
       7. The intelligent equipment rack of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 write rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a room identifier or a building identifier. 
 
     
     
       8. A method, in a data processing system, for automatically detecting and locating equipment within an intelligent equipment rack, the method comprising:
 determining, by a processor within the data processing system, whether a signal has been received indicating that a rack space in a plurality of rack spaces in the intelligent equipment rack has been occupied by a piece of electronic equipment; responsive to receiving the signal indicating that the rack space has been occupied by the piece of electronic equipment, update, by the processor, a rack information table in the memory with occupation information related to the rack space occupied by the piece of electronic equipment; 
 receiving by the processor, first equipment information from the piece of electronic equipment wherein the first equipment information comprises a number of rack space occupied by the electronic equipment, a connection point of the electronic equipment, and directions of other spaces occupied by the electronic equipment and updating, by the processor, the rack information table in the memory with the first equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 writing, by the processor, rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, or a row identifier. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the processor, second equipment information specific to the piece of electronic equipment from the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the second equipment information comprises at least one of a unique network address, a network address of a system management interface, a media access control (MAC) address, a model number, a unique serial number, product release level, maintenance level, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or device type; and 
 updating, by the processor, the rack information table in the memory with the second equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the signal identifies a specific rack space in the plurality of rack spaces, wherein the identification of the specific rack space is provided by a persistent storage associated with the specific rack space, wherein the signal is initiated by the piece of electronic equipment being installed in the intelligent equipment rack and a connection being made, and wherein the connection is at least one of a contact on the piece of electronic equipment closing the connection if the connection is a normally open connection or a protrusion on the piece of electronic equipment opening the connection if the connection is a normally closed connection. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 displaying, by the processor, rack information on a display associated with the intelligent equipment rack, wherein the rack information is at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, a row identifier, a room identifier, a building identifier, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link to a rack in an enterprise system management software. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 relaying, by the processor, at least one of rack information or electronic equipment information from the rack information table to a central management system so that a detailed, dynamic, up-to-date, and accurate inventory of the electronic equipment is available for the intelligent equipment rack. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 writing, by the processor, rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a room identifier or a building identifier. 
 
     
     
       15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
 determine whether a signal has been received indicating that a rack space in a plurality of rack spaces in an intelligent equipment rack has been occupied by a piece of electronic equipment; responsive to receiving the signal indicating that the rack space has been occupied by the piece of electronic equipment, update a rack information table in the memory with occupation information related to the rack space occupied by the piece of electronic equipment; 
 receive first equipment information from the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the f equipment information comprises a number of racks aces occupied by the electronic equipment, a connection point of the electronic equipment, and directions of other spaces occupied by the electronic equipment; and 
 update the rack information table in the memory with the first equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       16. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
 write rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, or a row identifier. 
 
     
     
       17. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
 receive second equipment information specific to the piece of electronic equipment from the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the second equipment information comprises at least one of a unique network address, a network address of a system management interface, a media access control (MAC) address, a model number, a 
 unique serial number, product release level, maintenance level, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or device type; and 
 update the rack information table in the memory with the second equipment information provided by the piece of electronic equipment. 
 
     
     
       18. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the signal identifies a specific rack space in the plurality of rack spaces, wherein the identification of the specific rack space is provided by a persistent storage associated with the specific rack space, wherein the signal is initiated by the piece of electronic equipment being installed in the intelligent equipment rack and a connection being made, and wherein the connection is at least one of a contact on the piece of electronic equipment closing the connection if the connection is a normally open connection or a protrusion on the piece of electronic equipment opening the connection if the connection is a normally closed connection. 
     
     
       19. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
 display rack information on a display associated with the intelligent equipment rack, wherein the rack information is at least one of a rack identifier, rack coordinates, a row identifier, a room identifier, a building identifier, contact information for equipment administrator or owner, or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link to a rack in an enterprise system management software. 
 
     
     
       20. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
 relay at least one of rack information or electronic equipment information from the rack information table to a central management system so that a detailed, dynamic, up-to-date, and accurate inventory of the electronic equipment is available for the intelligent equipment rack. 
 
     
     
       21. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
 write rack information to the piece of electronic equipment, wherein the rack information comprises at least one of a room identifier or a building identifier.